Z-Ligustilide Exerted Hormetic Effect on Growth and Detoxification Enzymes of Spodoptera litura Larvae

• Main Authors: Yang Yi, Guojun Dou, Zanyang Yu, Hui He, Chengqiang Wang, Li Li, Jia Zhou, Dejun Liu, Jianyou Shi, Guanrong Li, Lei Pang, Na Yang, Qinwan Huang, Hongyi Qi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2018-01-01
• Series: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7104513
• ISSN: 1741-427X; 1741-4288

Plants have evolved a variety of phytochemicals to defense insect feeding, whereas insects have also evolved diverse detoxification enzymes, which are adaptively induced as a prosurvival mechanism. Herein, Z-ligustilide in Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. was found to exhibit a similar trend in the accumulation from December to May as the occurrence of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) larvae. Importantly, S. litura larvae feeding enhanced Z-ligustilide level in the stem and leaf (p < 0.01). Moreover, Z-ligustilide ranging from 1 to 5 mg·g−1 exhibited remarkable larvicidal activity, antifeedant activity, and growth inhibition against S. litura larvae. The LC50 values of larvicidal activity for phthalides in L. chuanxiong were compared as follows: Z-ligustilide > levistilide A > senkyunolide A > 3-butylidenephthalide > senkyunolide I, implicating the critical role of conjugated structure. Notably, there was a biphasic dose response for glutathione S-transferase (GST), cytochrome P450 (CYP) 450, Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and Carboxylesterase (CarE) activities and GSTs1, cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4S9, and CYP4M14 mRNA expression. Particularly, low dose (0.1 mg·g−1) of Z-ligustilide conferred the resistance of S. litura larvae against chlorpyrifos (p < 0.05). Together, our data suggest that Z-ligustilide may function in a hormetic way in the chemical defense of L. chuanxiong against S. litura larvae.